The seedling phase could be an imminent challenge for novices. By learning how to take good care of your marijuana seedlings, one will find his way to success in cultivating cannabis. Keep reading and learn how to do the job like a pro.
Don’t forget to purchase your cannabis seeds only from reliable seed banks!
What Happens During the Seedling Stage?
When a cannabis seed is mature enough to produce a new plant, expect some splitting on the seams. It’s the number one sign that things are okay and moving. A few hours after the splitting, you will see a whitish spike coming out of the crack, which is the new plant’s tendril.
From this phase, the plant starts to grow surprisingly fast. The tendril goes down on the soil to develop the roots, while the stalk will start to grow on the soil surface. The husk of your seedling may seem useless, but it actually becomes the leaf that gathers enough energy to support the plant growth. You must see the new plant leaves emerging sooner than you think.
The first few leaves of a new cannabis plant will look like the mature cannabis leaves. In the meantime, this developing plant will have just a pair of leaves known as the sucker leaves. Their job is to ensure the plant will be able to accumulate sufficient energy for normal growth.
The rest of the leaves will be the real cannabis leaves. However, they will take more time to develop and mature.
Tips for Proper Handling of Marijuana Seedlings
1. Choose Good Lighting
Like any other plant, cannabis seedlings will need light to develop and thrive. Grow lights are widely available, but these products are not created equal. If you want to use the seedlings to develop into a healthy and resilient marijuana plant, you must expose it to the right kind of light.
If you are growing the seedlings outdoors, make sure they are exposed to sunlight as much as possible. Keep them under the sun from sunrise to the sunset. The more you leave them exposed to sunlight, the better.
However, growing your cannabis seedlings outdoors could be difficult. Since you cannot control the sunlight, it is hard to be sure that your cannabis seedlings get sufficient light they require to grow and develop properly. The clouds will be your greatest enemy as they may prevent the seedlings from getting access to lighting.
Growing your cannabis seedlings indoors by using artificial grow lights will give you more control through the process. This will help you make sure your plants get enough light every day. If you are growing them by using artificial lights like a compact fluorescent light that emits a cool blue spectrum is more effective. It can give your cannabis plants up to 18 hours of light and 6 hours of darkness each day.
2. Choose High-Quality Containers
Your cannabis seedlings will also need ample space to grow. Space has to be right enough – it shouldn’t be too big or too small for the young plants. If you use large containers, the roots of the developing plants will not be good enough to absorb the water available in the soil. If the containers are small for them, the roots will not develop properly. The roots will end up wrapping around themselves that made them less effective in absorbing water.
Choosing the right containers for your cannabis seedlings is a very important part of taking good care of them. You need pots that can truly give enough space for the roots to grow and expand. These pots must also have drainage holes on the bottom where excess water can go out. Remember, excess water can be overwhelming for your plants.
3. Water the Seedlings Properly
In terms of watering the seedlings, be sure you give them enough water to ensure proper growth. Overwatering and underwatering can cause almost the same negative effects on seedlings. Just be mindful when watering your plants. Know when to water and how much to give them.
The roots of cannabis seedlings are not elaborated. They are so small and will not require much water. So, you can mist them with water once to twice each day. Misting will already help them stay hydrated. If you are unsure how much is too much for the seedlings, pay more attention to the growing medium. The soil has to be moist and damp and not oversaturated and soaked.
4. Watch Out for the Symptoms of Nutrient Deficiencies
Nutrient deficiencies can trigger severe issues in your seedlings. Proper care is very important as it can help you pinpoint the symptoms of any nutrient deficiencies. Keep in mind these problems can be a result of many things. A “hot” potting mix may contain nutrients in huge amounts that can lead to nutrient toxicity. However, underwatering can trigger a deficiency in the leading nutrients that your plants will need to grow properly.
Here are some of the signs that can help you determine if your seedlings are dealing with nutrient deficiencies:
- The ends of the leaves look burnt
- The coloring of the plant changes to a dark shade
- The ends of the leaves curled
- The leaves are turning to yellow
Seeing any of these warning signs in your plant will mean either you gave them too few or too many nutrients. You just have to change your strategy in handling the cannabis seedlings.
5. Maintain the Ideal Humidity Level and Temperature Inside the Grow Room
Various environmental conditions are important to ensure the proper growth of the seedlings. Humidity and temperature are two of them. The temperature within the grow environment must not be more than 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Otherwise, the seeds will not grow tall.
Consider reducing the temperature to around 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the evening. This way, the plants will be able to absorb the moisture within the environment and have stronger root systems without getting overwhelmed due to overwatering.
Conclusion
Seeing the seeds turning into marijuana, seedlings is one exciting aspect of the cultivation process. Now that you already knew the best way to handle them, you should be more confident that your seedlings will eventually become healthy, mature and productive marijuana plants.
